


memory lane

by deansfallenangel



Series: Skam Month [1]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: 13k of nooreva fluff, F/F, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, SKAM Month, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, because why not, dancer eva, enjoy, honestly this is so fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 07:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11709384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deansfallenangel/pseuds/deansfallenangel
Summary: “Do you know where we are?” Eva asked expectantly although she knew full well that Noora probably didn’t remember.Noora looked the building up and down, and it was obvious she was thinking hard about where she might know the place from. She eventually gave up and shook her head. “No clue.”In which Eva takes Noora on a bike tour down memory lane.





	memory lane

**Author's Note:**

> wow I can't believe I actually finished this omg but here we are! this was written for the first day of fic week of skam month, the prompt was fluff. so I decided to write some cute fluffy nooreva that was supposed to be a drabble but ended up being 13k. 
> 
> a few words to the fic: everything that happens until the first date is set in their first year, just in case I didn't make that clear (I probably didn't make it clear, otherwise I wouldn't have to point that out). eva is a dancer in this fic, idk I just love the hc so much :') the fic is currently unbeta'd and I will probably edit it tomorrow when it's not 2:30 and I should be in bed because I'm going to pride and have to get up in 5 hours but I was stubborn and didn't want to go to sleep until I finished this (this is also why I'm telling you all of this. I am tired as hell), so all mistakes are mine. I also suck a lot at descriptions, I'm sorry about this one. I also made a nooreva playlist that I listened to while writing this. if anyone wants me to share it or post it on tumblr, just let me know <3
> 
> then I want to give a few shout outs to some people who had to listen to my constant whining about this fic. first, the people who made skam month happen, namely the carrot trash squad who I can also call my amazing friends. then [gaya](http://greathalesonfire.tumblr.com/) and [sue](http://julieseven.tumblr.com/), who are also probs, hopefully gonna beta this with me. [sunshine](http://shakespeare-and-sunshine.tumblr.com/) who answered my medical questions and was overall a great cheerleader. and lastly, all of my nooreva buddies who encouraged me to keep writing this fic and were the best cheerleaders I could ever ask for <3: [nate](http://mikaelboukhalls.tumblr.com/), [seph](http://eksild.tumblr.com/), [mel](http://evenforseason5.tumblr.com/), [trisha](http://sakvaltersen.tumblr.com/), [mars](http://rapgodvaltersen.tumblr.com/) and [britt](http://isakje.tumblr.com/). listen,, i know these are a lot of shout outs but 1) I have a lot of love to give and 2) I annoyed a lot of people with this fic. (btw I'm sorry if I forgot anyone omg)
> 
> but I've talked enough, I'm gonna stop now. pls enjoy the fic and thank you for reading <33

**Mi chica <3**

_when are you done with the girls?_

_maybe 15 minutes? they’re all being weird today, more giggly than usual, so I should be out soon. why?_

_I have a surprise for you <3_

_okay?? what is it?_

_it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore if I told you smh. just meet me at our apartment when you’re done. I love you._

_Love you too baby_

 

Eva was nervous. Okay, that was an understatement. She was a nervous, anxious wreck, pacing up and down the room, trying to calm herself down as her heart was beating erratically. She got numerous texts from the girls, all telling her to relax, that it would be fine, but she stopped looking at her phone after the third message since her brain kept telling her that it would _not_ be fine.

Eva took a deep breath and imagined that this was probably how Even had felt like all those years ago when he had prepared everything for Isak’s birthday and was stressed about it not being good enough. This was exactly how Eva felt right now. Though, this wasn’t just some birthday. If it was, she wouldn’t freak out like this. You could celebrate birthdays ever year while you could propose to the love of your life only once, and Eva wanted it to be perfect. She knew Noora would say yes, there was not a single doubt in her, but today every now and then the question still popped up in her head, asking her _but what if she says no?_ Eva had tried to shake that thought off immediately, knowing that this wasn’t a possibility. It just couldn’t be. They had been together for so long now, had gone through so much together, had talked about marriage before and both knew that they were ‘the one’ for each other. There was literally no reason as to why Noora should say no. She was probably even expecting it. God, she really needed to calm the fuck down. She reached for the small piece of metal in the back pocket of her jeans, feeling the weight of it and taking a deep breath. It was going to be okay.

 

It wasn’t long until she could hear the door being unlocked and the sound of footsteps. Despite herself, Eva smiled, and wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans before walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway where Noora was already waiting for her. Eva stopped in her tracks, just staring at her girlfriend and taking her fill. Noora was absolutely gorgeous, the light top she was wearing hanging loosely from her shoulders and her short shorts hugging her ass perfectly. It often surprised Eva how someone as stunning as Noora would ever want to be with her when Noora could have anyone. But Noora had chosen Eva and Eva had chosen her, and Eva was hers and she was Eva’s.

“Like what you see?” Noora asked with a grin on her lips, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Eva couldn’t help but grin back. “Always,” she told her and took the last few steps to close the distance between them.

Her eyes had a second to dart to Noora’s lips before Noora’s hands wrapped around her neck, her fingers lazily playing with her hair, and Noora pulled her in for a kiss. Of course, Eva expected that but she was still surprised, so it took her brain a second to catch up until her lips started moving against Noora’s. Her hands came around to grab onto her girlfriend’s ass, squeezing lightly and loving the quiet moan escaping Noora. It didn’t take long for the kiss to turn more passionate, Eva deepening the kiss as she licked into Noora’s mouths hungrily. She had done this so many times but every time she still felt overwhelmed, that she got to do this with Noora, that she did this to Noora and turned her into this utter mess. It was exhilarating, and every kiss felt different, new. She would never get tired of kissing Noora.

They came up for air eventually, both of them breathing heavily but smiling brightly at each other.

“Is this my surprise? Because I definitely like it.” Noora gave her a smug smile and leaned in for another kiss, just as passionate and hungry as the first one. She backed Eva up against a wall and slipped her tongue in her mouth once again, making Eva moan.

Eva knew where this was going and she didn’t want to stop. She was about to throw her plans overboard, to just say _fuck it, I’m gonna have my way with my girlfriend instead_ , but then she remembered that she had the whole thing planned for today, that she had gotten everyone involved and if she didn’t do this today, it would take her another five years. So yeah, breaking away from Noora was like someone cut off her oxygen and it _fucking_ hurt but she knew that the wait would be so much worth it.

“Baby, stop,” Eva said weakly, pushing half-heartedly at Noora’s shoulders to put some space between them because Noora was still chasing her lips, _goddamnit_. Noora only gave her a questioning look as if to ask if everything was okay, and Eva nodded but then shook her head to get her thoughts back on track, earning her another confused stare. “I hate to stop this, I really do, but sadly, this isn’t your surprise. Your surprise actually involves getting outside and moving, not staying in bed all day and just making out,” she explained and smiled.

Noora nodded, processing the information she was given. Then her thoughtful expression changed into a teasing one, her eyes carrying a certain spark that Eva knew too well. “Aren’t you usually the one who doesn’t want to go outside and would rather stay in bed, watching Netflix all day?”

Eva rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a grin from spreading on her lips. “You haven’t even heard the best part yet.”

“Which is?”

“We’re going biking!” Eva said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

Noora’s expression revealed that she definitely didn’t expect that, especially not from Eva who stayed away from any exercise. Her eyes widened, and Eva wanted to take a picture of Noora’s shocked face, wanting to keep this moment for eternity.

“What?” Noora eventually asked, still standing frozen and shocked on the spot as if Eva wanting to go ride a bike was the most grotesque and ridiculous thing she had heard all day.

“You heard correctly. Go get ready, I have drinks already packed. I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes, okay?”

Noora nodded dumbfoundedly and then disappeared into their bedroom while Eva grabbed her backpack and made her way into the basement where they stored their bikes. She got both bikes out on the sidewalk just in time for Noora to arrive, and gave her girlfriend an encouraging smile, who apparently still thought it was a weird idea coming from Eva.

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said as she got on her bike.

“Stop making such a big deal out of this. It’s not like we’ve never gone biking together before. It’ll be fun.”

“That’s true but babe, I usually have to bribe you with kisses to get you to exercise.”

“This isn’t exercise,” Eva protested, “I just wanna go on a biking tour with my beautiful girlfriend and spend some time with her.” As she said it, she leaned over to press a quick kiss against Noora’s lips and smiled widely. When she moved back again, Noora narrowed her eyes at her, quite possibly not buying her excuse. If Eva was her, she wouldn’t believe herself either. Noora probably knew something was up but decided not to comment on it though, rather focusing on the tour Eva had mentioned.

“Oh, so my surprise is a bike tour? This isn’t just some random biking?” Eva bit her lip as she nodded. “What does this tour include?” Noora wanted to know.

“Kisses and memories,” was the only hint Eva gave her, trying to hide her smile but obviously failing. “Come on!”

Eva had a small head start as Noora’s brain took a second to catch up with what was actually happening right now but when she eventually caught up with Eva, she still gave her wary glances. “I swear, if something happened to my Harry Potter books and this is your way of trying to placate me before you tell me, I am still going to murder you with my bare hands,” she threatened and Eva knew it was no joke. Noora had always been very serious and passionate about Harry Potter, so if something had actually happened to her books and it had been Eva’s fault, she would take her by her words. Eva wouldn’t make it out of that conversation alive.

But since none of that was true and she had nothing to worry about, she threw her head back and laughed before looking to Noora who was now riding her bike alongside her. “Don’t worry about it. Your babies are fine.”

“Good.”

They fell in comfortable silence afterwards, occasionally stealing glances and smiling happily at the other. Seeing and talking to Noora had really calmed her nerves and she knew asking her to marry her was the right decision. She was actually going to do this and she was sure Noora would say yes and she was fairly certain that this was already one of the best days of her life.

It was Noora who spoke up again. “By the way, do you know what was up with the girls today? They were all so weird today.”

Eva just shrugged, acting like she had no idea what her girlfriend was talking about when she knew damn well that she probably had to smack them on their heads later for almost blowing her cover. She could imagine the scene in front of her, Vilde, Sana and Chris all happy and excited, Vilde almost bursting with the need to tell Noora about what was going to happen later that day and Chris and Sana having to hold her back while Noora had no clue what was going on. If she hadn’t been with Noora right now, she would facepalm herself right now.

Noora luckily dropped it and didn’t ask any further questions, instead wanting to know where they were headed. Right in this moment, Eva stopped in front of a building.

“Do you know where we are?” Eva asked expectantly although she knew full well that Noora probably didn’t remember.

Noora looked the building up and down, and it was obvious she was thinking hard about where she might know the place from. She eventually gave up and shook her head. “No clue.” 

Eva smiled at her since she had anticipated that answer. “This is the building where we first met,” she explained and her expression softened with it. She wanted to reach out and give Noora a kiss. It was what this memory did to her. She had been wanting to kiss Noora ever since that first night. So she did exactly that, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the lips, feeling her girlfriend smile into the kiss.

“Wait, at the party in our first year? Where I told you this stupid made up fact about chlamydia?” she wanted to know, sounding delighted, and Eva nodded quickly. “Oh my God, that was like years ago! What are we doing here?”

 “I told you this tour would include memories. This is where it all started,” Eva told her softly and soon felt a hand cupping her cheek. She immediately leaned into the touch, enjoying it way too much every time.

 “Yeah, it did. The beginning of a wonderful relationship,” Noora agreed quietly, and then captured Eva’s lips in a gentle kiss. Even such a small kiss could take Eva’s breath after all these years.

 When they broke apart again, Eva’s eyes stayed closed for another minute, wanting to savor the taste of Noora and burn it into her mind. When she opened them, she found another set of eyes already staring down at her.

 “I’d been wanting to kiss you ever since I saw you for the first time that night,” she admitted, “I felt so bad because I was still with Jonas and somehow tried to save our relationship although everything had long burnt down to the ground already and I knew there was nothing left I could fix. Everything had fallen apart because we didn’t trust each other, and trust is the foundation of every relationship. You can’t build a house without a foundation. Or you can but don’t be surprised if it collapses.” She shrugged nonchalantly and looked down at her feet, slightly uncomfortable. They were still somewhat friends with Jonas but she still didn’t like to bring up her and Jonas’ failed relationship. It didn’t have a good taste to it, rather bitter, something she didn’t want to dwell on.

 “But truth is,” Eva continues, looking up at Noora again who glances at her with worry in her eyes, “all I could think about in this mess was you. What being with you would be like, _feel_ like, what it would be like to kiss you and be in your arms. You were on my mind 24/7 and I felt so bad because it wasn’t fair for Jonas or me or you. But I never made a move on you because I wasn’t sure how you felt,” she finishes quietly, managing to hold Noora’s gaze.

 Noora tugged a strand of hair that had fallen in Eva’s face behind her ear and then cupped her face in her hands, softly stroking her thumb over her cheekbones. “God, you were so oblivious. I was crazy about you from the moment I first saw you, still am. I didn’t want to exploit your situation and make you do something you might regret or didn’t even want to do. But dear Lord, after all that drama was over and when you finally kissed me…,” Noora trailed off, shaking her head as if she still couldn’t believe that had actually happened, that she hadn’t made up all of that, that it hadn’t been just her imagination. As if to remind herself that it was indeed real, she pressed a kiss against Eva’s lips, giving all of herself into that kiss. “I couldn’t believe my luck. God, I love you so much,” she murmured against her lips, leaning her forehead against Eva’s and taking a deep breath as if the whole situation was too overwhelming for her right now. Which it probably was because Eva was quite overwhelmed with all the emotions surging through her body, making her feel dizzy.

 After a while, Eva let out a quiet laugh, earning herself a questioning look from her girlfriend. “I didn’t want this to be this emotional yet. This was just the start,” she explained, “I wanted this to be funny because this is where we met and you told me that girls who call other girls sluts have a 90% more chance of getting chlamydia and I believed you which is actually quite funny.” Noora nodded her agreement, joining in on her laughter.

 “Shall we continue our little tour?” she asked as she took a step back from Noora, raising her eyebrows while trying to get back the light mood.

 Noora nodded again when she got back on her bike. This time it was her who got the head start, leaving Eva behind who shook her head. “You don’t even know where we’re going!” she yelled after Noora, laughing slightly.

 Noora turned around and shrugged her shoulders as if to say _so what?_ , causing Eva to look at her with so much fondness it hurt. It was such a typical Noora thing to do and she loved her so, so much.

 Eva caught up with her rather quickly, and although they were cycling in the wrong direction, she didn’t have it in her to stop Noora. She looked so peaceful, just riding her bike through Oslo, without a care in the world and occasionally laughing. So she just trailed behind her for a while, and it was in this moment that she realized she would follow Noora everywhere.

 

\--

 

“Why didn’t you tell me we were going in the wrong direction?” Noora asked, feigning annoyance which soon turned into laughter.

 “You looked so at ease, I didn’t want to disturb that,” she replied, shrugging nonchalantly like it was the most obvious thing.

 Noora didn’t reply but gave her a smile that radiated fondness and Eva felt it down to her core, making her feel warm all over.

 “From now on, I’ll lead the way and you’ll just follow me,” she added determinedly, giving her girlfriend a pointed look.

 Noora sat up straighter on her bike and took a hand off the handlebar, her expression turning serious when she saluted Eva. “Yes, Ma’am.”

 Since Eva had let her take the wrong direction, it took longer than anticipated to get to the next location. They had fallen into silence again and occasionally stopped to drink some water but stayed away from each other during these small breaks, knowing full well that they would probably never arrive at their destination otherwise. So they just shared smiles and then continued their tour.

When they finally arrived at Eva’s old house, she took a deep breath. She hadn’t calculated how much energy actual biking took, just thought it was a nice idea and a great way to take Noora around the city. It hadn’t even occurred to her that they could have just taken the tram, and Eva regretted every single life choice because everything hurt and they weren’t even halfway done. Though, she figured Noora would appreciate this more than just getting on and off crowded trams, considering how she was overflowing with energy. Maybe it was worth all the physical pain Eva was going through.

 “Your old house. Want to enlighten me?” Noora asked, grin playing across her lips as she raised her eyebrows teasingly.

 “This is where we had our first kiss,” Eva answered, biting her lip as a huge smile threatened to break out on her face at the mention of the memory, and gestured to the house. “Do you remember?”

 Noora turned towards the house, the grin replaced by a soft smile, as she seemed to wallow in the memory of their first kiss. “How could I ever forget?” she sighed happily and turned back around to Eva, reaching over to take her hand into hers and squeezing lightly.

 

\--

 

_Eva was failing Spanish. There was no denying anymore at this point and no matter how much she would like to keep putting off studying for the damn test next week that would decide whether she was going to pass this class, she couldn’t and her best friend wouldn’t let her. Which is how they wound up in Eva’s bedroom on a Saturday evening, papers strewn across the floor, instead of going out partying. She had tried to convince Noora to study on another day, to just go out and have fun before exams start but Noora was having none of it, shutting all her arguments down instantly and telling her that partying wouldn’t help her pass the test but actual studying. Eva had caved in reluctantly, not in the mood to study on a Saturday night. But when was she ever? The only upside of this whole situation was that she got to spend time with her best friend who she was also lowkey crushing on._

_Eva didn’t think she would ever have a chance with Noora. She was beautiful, kind, funny and so goddamn smart. She was a queen and Eva worshipped the ground she was walking on. Things Eva wouldn’t think about herself. So why would Noora ever choose her if she could have anyone? Got someone hitting on her at every party they went to? It was ridiculous to think that Noora would want her. There was also a problem she liked to forget about, namely that she was obviously and painfully straight and never looked at a girl twice. They had never talked about Noora’s sexuality before, only about Eva’s when she came out to her as bisexual, but the way Noora didn’t even acknowledge other girls’ existence was enough indication for her not to make a move on her._

_Until that goddamn Spanish study session on a Saturday night._

_They had been going at it for hours now, Eva throwing her head back exasperatedly and sighing heavily. At one point, she even threw the pencil across the room and started pouting afterwards. Since getting up would require too much energy, she asked Noora with as much politeness as she had left inside of her fed up, angry body to please go get her pencil. When her best friend told her to ask her in Spanish again, she threw her hands up dramatically and got up to fetch that damn thing herself. Noora suggested a break afterwards and Eva was more than willing to take one because she was exhausted._

_After their break, they started out slowly with vocabulary revision and Eva did quite a good job, actually. Her mood started to lift again, especially upon seeing how proud Noora was when she got most of it right. It served as a little motivation to keep that expression on her face._

_They continued with Noora explaining some grammar to her in Spanish, and since Eva didn’t have the longest attention span, she began zooming out, focusing her attention on Noora’s lips instead. Noora had pretty lips, something she had noticed a lot of times before, and Eva was always mesmerized by them, always wondering what they would feel like. They were probably soft, so soft._

_“Eva? Are you listening?” Noora asked her, her brows furrowed._

_She nodded quickly, giving her a smile that hopefully didn’t look forced, as Noora continued babbling away in Spanish. It didn’t take long until she was just staring again, enraptured by the sound of her voice rather than the words leaving her mouth. Listening to Noora speak in Spanish was quite possibly the hottest thing ever. Noora could read her a manual in Spanish and it would still leave Eva feeling hot all over._

_Eva had never had a thing for languages before Noora had shown up and entered her life. But ever since that one class where Eva had forgotten her homework and Noora had answered for her, she was completely hooked. Whenever Noora talked Spanish in class or like right now, it felt like a door had opened, revealing what paradise looked like for Eva. She never intended to have a Spanish language kink or whatever, but here she was, getting all worked up over Noora speaking said language because she literally had zero chill._

_Eva was a simple girl, so it was only a matter of time until she got to the point where it was all too much and she finally broke her ‘I’m definitely, totally not in love with my best friend’ façade. Noora directly addressing her in Spanish was all she could take, the last straw, before she reached over, grabbed Noora’s face and pressed their lips together in a heated kiss._

_She had thought about their first kiss for a long time, it was practically what kept her up at night. She had always imagined their first kiss to be soft, gentle, only a brush of their lips against one another. Instead, it was fierce, filled with desperation and heat. What surprised her the most was that Noora actually kissed her back and didn’t push her away. No, she pulled her even closer, grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling. They clung to each other as if their life depended on it, as if the other was the only source of oxygen and they would die otherwise. But amongst all of it, she couldn’t help but notice how soft her lips were and how they perfectly fit together, how those soft whimpers would escape Noora that made Eva weak in the knees. This wasn’t how she imagined their first kiss but it was still oh so perfect, better than anything her imagination could have come up with, and she never wanted to stop kissing her. Still, they broke apart, gasping for air and staring at each other, a mix of shock and surprise displayed on their faces._

_“Wow,” Eva breathed out eventually, and Noora only nodded, suddenly shy and biting her already red, swollen lips. “What did just happen?” Eva wasn’t quite able to wrap her head around what was going on, needing Noora’s confirmation that all of this was real._

_Noora didn’t disappoint. “You suddenly kissed me and I kissed you back,” she explained simply, the smile never leaving her lips._

_“Wow,” she repeated, the only thing she was capable of saying right now. Noora took her hand, squeezing it, and whispered, “I know.”_

_They sat there for a while, just smiling at one another, when Noora spoke up again. “Wanna do it again?”_

_This was all it took for Eva to lean in again, this time going softer, less aggressive. Now that she knew that Noora wanted this as well, she could relax, enjoy this moment because she had all the time in the world which she could spend kissing this girl. Though, there was still a question bugging her in the back of her mind, not letting her go. It took all her willpower to tear herself away from Noora, who looked confused and wanted to know if there was something wrong._

_“Everything’s fine. I’m just… a little confused right now?”_

_“Why?”_

_"I thought you were straight. I was 100% sure you are straight,” Eva explained, struggling to piece it all together and making sense of the situation. Not with much success though._

_“What?” Noora questioned, and it was obvious she was trying to hold back her laughter as if the thought of her being straight was the funniest thing she had heard in the last decade. “Eva, I’m gay. A lesbian. Not interested in men.”_

_Eva shook her head, trying to concentrate and get her thoughts, which were still kind of occupied by the fact that they had kissed, back on track. “But how? You never even acknowledged other girls, it’s like they were all invisible to you. I’m so confused.”_

_Noora reached out her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Eva’s ear, smiling fondly at her. “I never acknowledged any of these girls because all of my attention was on you,” she confessed, voice surprisingly steady._

_Eva was the opposite of steady right now. Everything turned upside down, her head feeling dizzy as she processed the new information.  This changed everything, it all made sense, and she wanted to tell her so many things but her brain was going into overdrive, so all she could manage was a simple, mumbled, “oh.”_

_Noora’s quiet laughter filled the air and for a moment she only concentrated on that beautiful sound and how it was her favorite one, the sound she wanted to wake up to every morning and never miss it anymore. “Now that we have established that I’m gay for you and like like you, how about we get back to studying and if you do well, you’ll get rewarded with kisses?”_

_Now that was a deal she could work with._

 

\--

 

“God, you were so oblivious,” Noora noted, grinning at her girlfriend, “I was all over you and you didn’t even notice, thinking I was out there being a part of the straights.”

Eva snorted because she knew how ridiculous that thought was now. She didn’t know how she could have ever thought Noora was in any form straight. “Don’t remind me. Those were dark, dark times.”

Noora only laughed and settled on her bike again, waiting for Eva to do the same. Once Eva was ready, Noora stretched out her arm in front of her and said, “lead the way, baby.”

“We’re actually going in the other direction,” she laughed and turned around, cycling away from her old house.

 

Noora instantly started squealing when she recognized the street they were entering and even more so when they came to a halt in front of the kollektiv. It had always been one of Noora’s favorite places, Eva knew as much, and she always liked coming back here, excitement always washing all over her face. Now was not an exception. They had made so many memories in this place together, it was impossible not to come here when they were going down memory lane. But Eva was aiming for one specific memory.

Eva knew that Noora had figured out by now that they were going to all the places that were important milestones in their relationship. Noora wasn’t stupid. Though, she still had to guess what happened there for the first time.

“I can narrow it down to first date and first time having sex,” she said, the words coming out of her mouth so easily. While Noora could openly, without a care in the world, talk about sex and what she wanted, Eva still turned into a blushing mess and stumbled over her words. It wasn’t like Eva was prudish or anything, quite the contrary actually, but she was too aware of herself, too self-conscious to just freely speak about it. It wasn’t a problem when she wasn’t involved but as soon as she was, all she could do was stutter and blush her way through it. Only when she was in the right headspace, could she forget about all of that and turned into a wild, eager mess instead.

Blushing, she was about to answer Noora when she was suddenly interrupted. “I love it so much when you blush. You’re so cute,” her girlfriend commented, stroking her thumb over her cheekbone lovingly. She batted her hand away, telling her to stop it but couldn’t help but smile back, her cheeks turning a tad pinker.

“Anyway, this is where we had our first date,” she finally says, wanting to shift the attention back to the important things at hand.

“Ha! Knew it!” she tells her excitedly, jumping up and down. Sometimes it was hard to believe Noora was the mature one who did all the cooking and the laundry.

 

\--

 

_Their relationship had been going well for the few weeks they had been together. They were still in that phase where they were in a comfortable bubble, not ready to let it burst and face the reality about being a couple. They knew that one day not everything would be all giggles and heart eyes anymore, that there would be fights but as long as they hadn’t reached that point yet, might as well enjoy the ride there._

_All they had done was cuddle and make out so far but Noora wanted to take her on a real date. Noora had told her to not worry about anything, she would organize everything and Eva could just lean back and enjoy herself. So she did that, only asking Noora what she should wear. Her reply was immediate, telling her to wear something casual and whatever she was comfortable with._

_And this was how Eva ended up in front of the kollektiv’s doorstep in leggings and a loose shirt. Her makeup was probably a bit overdone for it to count as casual but she couldn’t care less. When Noora opened the door, Eva was surprised to find a similar look on her girlfriend. As she entered the flat, they both erupted into laughter, looking each other up and down._

_“You knew we were going to stay inside as soon as I told you to wear something casual, huh?” Noora questioned, the corner of her eyes crinkling._

_Eva nodded in response, body still shaking from all that laughter. “I’m glad I got this right. Going to a fancy restaurant like this would have been awkward.”_

_Noora came closer and wrapped her arms around her waist. She smiled at Eva as she said, “you still look so good. I would take you anywhere, even a fancy restaurant.” Noora then pressed a kiss to her cheek, her nose and eventually her lips._

_That was what she not so secretly loved about Noora. She always wanted Eva to feel good, to know her worth and how beautiful she was on the outside but also on the inside. Always gave her compliments which Eva basked in, adding a certain glow to her that was hard not to notice. Noora succeeded in her goal to make her feel good about herself, making her happy for hours, and she couldn’t hide it even if she tried._

_Eva smiled, wrapping her arms around Noora’s neck, and then gave her a kiss of her own before asking, “so what are we doing tonight?”_

_A mischievous grin spread over Noora’s face which couldn’t mean anything good. Eva narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously and waited for her to explain their plans for tonight._

_It didn’t take long for Noora to deliver. “Since you’re so obsessed with Spanish, I thought we could make paella. Or well, I could. You just sit at the kitchen table and look pretty while you watch me,” she added and pretended to be thoughtful for a moment before her grin reappeared on her lips._

_Eva only rolled her eyes. “Jesus, when are you gonna get over that Spanish thing?”_

_“When are you gonna get over that Spanish thing?” Noora retorted, and well yeah, touché. Eva couldn’t blame Noora for bringing it up over and over again because it was Eva’s weak spot and she just liked teasing her way too much. So honestly, she couldn’t even be mad._

_While Noora got the food ready, they were talking animatedly about school and their friends, the occasional gossip slipping in as well, and Eva’s favorite discussion at this point whether or not Isak was gay. She knew that Noora was annoyed by now but she couldn’t help but obsess about it. Eva dropped the topic quickly that night though, not wanting to ruin their date by discussing Isak’s sexuality and annoying Noora along the way. Noora gave her a thankful smile._

_Noora was almost done cooking, and Eva’s mouth was already watering because it smelled so good. Honestly, she hadn’t expected anything else from Noora, considering she had cooked for the girls before and it always tasted great. She was glad at least one of them could cook because if they couldn’t, that might be a problem in the future if they ever moved in together. Sure, Eva could learn how to cook and make something for Noora but she had told Eva explicitly to let her do all the cooking and to never go near a stove again. It wasn’t her fault that the one time Eva had actually cooked a meal for Noora, her lips had been too damn distracting and she had accidentally burned the lasagna. Eva refused to see how that was any of her fault._

_Eva licked her lips as Noora set down her plate in front of her and took the seat opposite of her. She gave Noora a smile and then started eating. She hadn’t realized how hungry she really was until she took the first bite, eyes closed and a small moan escaping her mouth. When she opened her eyes again, Noora was staring at her with raised eyebrows. “That good, huh?” she asked teasingly, and Eva didn’t care at this point. She nodded her agreement and took another bite and was now moaning unabashedly around her fork._

_“Fuck, baby, this is so good. I’m gonna come over every day from now on and have you cook for me,” she mumbled around a mouthful of paella, making Noora laugh._

_“Okay.”_

_They ate in silence except for the occasional moan that escaped Eva’s mouth. Eva stopped counting how many servings she had but by the end of dinner, everything was gone and she was thoroughly satisfied, happily rubbing her belly. Noora got up to put the plates into the sink and then turned around to meet Eva’s gaze, the question what was going to happen now obvious on her face._

_Noora’s expression softened and a smile graced her lips. “We can do the dishes later,” she says, reaching out her hand for Eva to take, “I want to show you something.”_

_Eva, now curious, took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and then got up, letting Noora lead the way into her bedroom. She had been in there countless times before, just lazily making out on her bed on a Sunday morning or working together on homework. But this time the atmosphere had shifted, it felt different, as if this was important and took a lot of courage. Especially since Noora was quiet all of a sudden and seemed very nervous. She didn’t question it, didn’t want to push her but instead waited for her to explain what exactly it was she wanted to show her._

_After they entered Noora’s bedroom, she instructed Eva to go sit down on the bed while she grabbed her guitar, pulled out her chair and sat across from Eva. She took a deep breath before she finally spoke up. “You know I play the guitar but I realized the other day I have never played in front of you or_ for _you. I want to change this tonight,” Noora told her, smiling nervously at her._

_Eva felt warm all over at the thought of Noora wanting to share this with her, so she nodded excitedly and reached out her hand to squeeze Noora’s to reassure her, letting it fall to her side again afterwards and waiting for her to start. She had always wanted to listen to Noora play the guitar but she knew not to push it, that Noora would come around as soon as she was ready to share this part of herself. Eva had been in situations like this before, where she had to dance in front of others and was suddenly self-conscious and didn’t remember the easiest moves. She liked to practice on her own because that was when she reached her peak performance but as soon as others joined her practice without her consent, it was as if she hadn’t danced all her life and had only recently started. So she didn’t want to put her in a similar situation, knowing full well how uncomfortable that could be, and it didn’t even surprise her that her otherwise confident girlfriend suddenly turned into a nervous wreck._

_After Eva gave her an encouraging smile, Noora took another deep breath, letting her fingers slide over the strings once before she started playing for real. It was obvious that from the moment she began playing the first chords, she immediately relaxed, losing herself in the music. Eva recognized the song instantly, all too familiar with it. Eva and Noora had listened to it many times before, during study sessions, make out sessions or just chilling and doing nothing sessions. She wasn’t sure if it was too early in the relationship but it kind of felt like it was their song. They both loved it so much, and whenever Eva listened to it, she always associated it with these different sessions with Noora. Her heart was ready to burst right then and there._

_Eva looked at her girlfriend with fondness in her eyes, smiling so widely it hurt. As Noora started singing the chorus of ‘More Than Words’, she opened her eyes again and met Eva’s gaze with just as much affection, and Eva could feel that Noora was pouring her heart and soul into this. Eva’s chest felt heavy, her heart full, and if someone asked her to describe how she felt right now, she wouldn’t be able to put it into words. All she knew was that she loved the girl opposite from her so much, with everything she had, every fiber of her being. It was too early to say it now but deep down she knew, and if Noora’s expression was anything to go by, she knew too and felt the same about Eva._

_Noora sang the last words of the song, letting the music slowly fade out until it was completely quiet in the room. She put her guitar away and wouldn’t meet Eva’s gaze. Eva imagined it might be because she was still a bit overwhelmed. Eva reached out, knowing her girlfriend needed the comfort, and pulled Noora out of her chair and towards her. Noora stumbled and fell rather gracelessly on Eva’s lap, making both of them laugh. She brushed aside the hair that had fallen in Noora’s face and afterwards stroked her cheek with her thumb, Noora instantly leaning into the touch and closing her eyes._

_“This was amazing. Thank you for sharing this with me,” she whispered sincerely and leaned her forehead against Noora’s, enjoying the closeness. Eventually, Eva closed the distance between them and pressed a gentle kiss to Noora’s lips, burying her hand in her hair. It was sweet and soft, not hurried like most of their other kisses, and it was shortly over after it started. Noora got off her lap and moved up on the bed, dragging Eva alongside her. Noora curled herself around Eva while Eva put an arm around her and held her tightly, refusing to ever let go. Eva gave her a kiss on top of her head before stroking her hair affectionately._

_For the rest of the night, they just lay there in each other’s arms, switching between cuddling and lazy kisses. It was the best first date Eva had ever had._

 

\--

 

Eva smiled lovingly at the memory, throwing a glance over at Noora who seemed to be as lost in her thoughts as she was. She loved thinking back to that night, considering how that was the start of them being completely honest and open with each other. Ever since that night they had shared everything with each other and if they hadn’t 100% trusted the other before, they most certainly did now.

“Come on, let’s go,” Eva said, tugging at Noora’s arm to get her attention, “we still have a few stops ahead of us.”

“Jeez, how long is that tour, Eva?” Noora asked incredulously, as if the concept of Eva planning a tour that was longer than 15 minutes was hard to grasp.

Eva laughed in reply. “Only like three more stops. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

Noora nodded, and both got back on their bikes, leaving Noora’s old flat behind as well.

They had been cycling for around five minutes when Noora’s curiosity seemed to get the best of her and she broke the silence that had fallen over them. “Why are we doing all of this? Don’t get me wrong, it’s really sweet and I am loving this, but I just keep asking myself… why?”

Eva knew that Noora would get suspicious at some point. Noora wasn’t stupid and Eva knew her well enough by now that she expected her girlfriend to question all of this sometime. Most things Eva did in life were without reason, mostly because it was fun in her opinion. She didn’t need a reason to do things or enjoy herself. She lived a carefree life and usually wasn’t a fan of planning and organizing. She liked the spontaneous side of life. Noora was normally the one that was responsible for all of that stuff. So Eva planning an entire tour through Oslo, doing something not spontaneously that also included exercise? Yeah, there was a reason behind it and Eva wasn’t surprised that Noora had caught on eventually.

“Aren’t you usually the patient one?” Eva retorted teasingly, raising an eyebrow, which got her a reluctant nod in return. “So be patient. You’ll find out soon enough why we’re doing all of this.”

Noora sighed dramatically but dropped the subject which Eva was very grateful for. Eva wasn’t the best liar, to say the least, and more questions would have put her in a position where she either would have had to lie to Noora or possibly blurted out the surprise. She didn’t like either option.

After a few more minutes of biking, they stopped in front of their old school, now abandoned as everyone had left for their summer holidays. Eva leaned her bike against one of the benches where they used to sit on during breaks back when they were still in school, and sat down, waiting for Noora to follow suit.

“Baby, we made so many memories here, this time I can’t narrow it down,” Noora whined as she seated herself closely next to Eva, their knees brushing lightly.

And it was true. Whenever Eva came back to Nissen, a flood of memories hit her. Most of them were good; memories of time spent with Noora and the girls, planning their own buss, make out sessions with Noora in empty classrooms during breaks, getting closer with Isak again and rekindling their friendship. But Eva couldn’t say things had always been this good. Her first year was a disaster, filled with drama that got out of control, causing Eva to spiral and fall until she hit the ground hard, invisible bruises and scars covering her skin from everything she had been through, from the nasty words spit at her, from the eventual hard crash that was inevitable. But luckily, her friends had been there for her, never leaving her side and reaching out a hand to get her up from the cold ground, steadying her when she stood tall again but still needed a little aid. They helped her heal slowly, consistently, and she came out stronger out of this whole mess, partially thanks to her friends for sticking with her. It strengthened their friendship which was most likely one of the reasons Eva got to call them her friends for life. So yes, not everything had been sunshine and rainbows during her first year but she had discovered who she was as a person and had learned a lot about herself, and sometimes she thought all the pain she had been through was worth the final outcome.

Eva realized she must have been lost at thought because Noora nudged her knee against hers and looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer. She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts back on track and focus on one of her happiest, most favorite memory she had made in this building. She turned around to Noora to face her properly, biting her lip excitedly. “You told me in the library for the first time that you loved me.” Eva wasn’t able to contain her happy smile anymore, white teeth showing as she smiled brightly. It was one of her all-time favorite memories.

Noora’s face lit up at the mention and a beautiful, tender smile graced her lips. “I love that one. And you. That was such a good day.”

“I know.”

“Especially when you said it back after your internal freak out,” Noora laughed, bumping their shoulders together playfully.

“I did not freak out!”, Eva protested halfheartedly.

Noora shook her head. “You kinda did.”

 

\--

 

_Eva and Noora were in the school library studying. The other girls had left a while ago, not in the mood to do any of their homework but rather enjoy the last warm summer days outside, while the couple had stayed behind to get some work done. Even though it was only the beginning of their second school year, Eva already worked hard, wanting to get a head start and better grades. She didn’t want to start out like last year when she failed almost every test she took. This year things were going to go differently, she told herself, and she was going to get better grades. Luckily, she had a smart girlfriend to support her in her goals._

_As she was focusing on a math equation that just didn’t make sense (but then again, nothing about math made sense to her), she kept chewing on her pencil – something she always did whenever she was trying to concentrate on something really hard. She had completely zoned out at that point, blocking out everything around her, when a sharp voice reached her, breaking through to her._

_“Fucking hell, I love you,” she heard Noora blurt out, causing Eva to look up at her with furrowed brows. Noora looked like she was caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, frozen on the spot with her hand still stuck in the jar._

_Eva just stared at her, unable to form any words. She didn’t know what to say to that. Well, of course she did but it came out of nowhere, so sue her for being a little bit shocked right now. Noora stared right back at her, worrying her lips nervously, and it only seemed to get worse with every passing second where Eva didn’t say anything. She was sure Noora was going to draw blood if she didn’t open her mouth soon. The word that came out wasn’t helpful at all, considering how it was just a surprised ‘What?’ which appeared to drive Noora insane even more._

_“Is it too early? It’s been on my mind for a while and I thought now was the right time, especially because our relationship has been steady and I know it’s only been a little more over two months but I love you,” she blabbered away and then realized that she had said it again. “Oh, there we go again!” Noora threw up her hands dramatically and then covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, Eva,” she mumbled out through gritted teeth, her hands kept firmly in place._

_Before this could get any more out of control, Eva awoke from her trance, shaking her head vehemently. She pried Noora’s hands away from her face and took them into her own. To reassure her she squeezed them gently and smiled at her._

_“Relax. I love you, too."  
_

_Eva leaned over the table to plant a kiss on Noora’s lips, feeling every bit of tension seeping out of her body and her visibly relaxing. When they broke apart again, Eva propped her forehead against Noora’s and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled her scent. She smiled widely as she repeated the words, “I love you” all over again, accompanied by kisses on her cheeks, nose, forehead and lips._

_Eventually, Noora pushed her away halfheartedly, laughing as she said, “okay, you can stop now.” Eva did her ministrations to her girlfriend’s face one more time before sitting down again._

_“I mean it. I love you,” Eva said sincerely, voice steady._

_“Good because I love you more.”_

_“I love you the most.”_

_“Not possible,” Noora retorted, a fond smile playing on her lips._

_Eva sighed happily, her heart ready to combust again at the thought of this wonderful girl wanting her, desiring her, loving her. Sometimes she couldn’t handle all the love Noora was so ready to give. It was overwhelming, to say the least._

_It was still hard to believe that someone as stunning as Noora would ever want her. Her mind often played games on her that maybe, just maybe, all of this was just in her head, that she was making this up, that Noora was with her out of pity. But then Noora pulled stuff like this, telling her that she loved Eva, and it was enough to quiet the voices in her head for a while. It wasn’t like she hadn’t known this before Noora had told her. It was obvious in every look and every touch she gave her that Eva meant the world to her. It was just that sometimes Eva’s insecurities came through again, turning her into this apprehensive mess again that she was over a year ago. She had come far from that place but she was also still working on it, still fighting it. She trusted Noora that she wouldn’t hurt her, at least not intentionally, and knew that she wouldn’t, Noora giving her the promise in every kiss._

_Afterwards, they continued studying in a comfortable silence, their wide smiles never fading even a little bit._

 

\--

 

“Looking back at it, I think you were more freaked out than I was. I was just shocked,” Eva said with a pointed look in Noora’s direction, which Noora only shrugged off.

“I refuse to discuss this any longer,” Noora replied with such determination in her voice that Eva decided to just drop it but knew full well that she had won this time. She didn’t do anything to hide her satisfied grin.

“I have a question though,” she said instead, causing Noora to look back up at her with curious eyes. She didn’t respond anything, just waited for Eva to continue. “I never asked you but why did you say it for the first time on that day? There was nothing special about it. I was just doing math equations that I didn’t understand.” She knit her eyebrows in confusion and rubbed the back of her neck in anticipation. The question had been on her mind for a while now, bugging her for years precisely, but the opportunity to ask her about that day had never really come up.

Until now.

Noora’s smile turned secretive as she looked down on her feet, suddenly all shy. It didn’t happen often that Noora was shy, usually oozing confidence and being unashamed, but that didn’t mean that Eva didn’t enjoy the sight of her girlfriend blushing and stuttering. It was beautiful and she would be lying if she said it didn’t do _things_ to her.

Noora joined their hands together, placing them on her thigh, when she looked up again. Eva caressed the back of her hand with her thumb to comfort her, encourage her to go on. Noora finally did.

“But that was actually it, you know? You were so focused on doing your homework, chewing on your pencil which is by the way an overall cute look on you. And I don’t know, it was such a mundane thing to do, it was so _you_ , that I just had to tell you,” Noora revealed, her hand twitching nervously in Eva’s.

Eva couldn’t do anything but look fondly at her girlfriend and breathe out, “wow.” She hadn’t expected that confession although she could very much relate to that feeling, considering how it had happened to her before when Noora was doing the most mundane things, like reading a book or chopping the vegetables for dinner, and the only thing that crossed her mind was how much she loved her girlfriend. She leaned in to bring their lips together, giving Noora the sweetest kiss. Noora melted into the touch and sighed relieved against Eva’s lips.

“You’re so cute, I love you so much,” Eva told her after they broke apart again, giggling to herself.

“I love you more,” Noora objected and leaned her forehead against Eva’s, closing her eyes and breathing her in.

“I love you the most.”

Noora shook her head. “Not possible.”

Eva giggled again, a blush rising to her cheeks, as she tore herself away from Noora. She made grabby hands at Eva who swatted her away, denying any touch. Noora pouted petulantly. “What is that all about? Isn’t this the point where we kiss?”

“Yes, usually,” Eva agrees, jumping off the bench excitedly, “but we’re already running late, so save all that kissing for later.” It was hard not caving in and giving Noora what she asked for when that was all Eva wanted to do but they were in fact behind on their tour. Eva took her phone out of her pocket and texted the girls to wait just a little longer since it would take them just a tad longer to arrive at their final destination. After she put her phone away again, she got on her bike.

“What are we late for?” Noora sounded on edge as she followed her off the bench and settled on her bike again. “You know I don’t like being late.”

Eva couldn’t help but snort, earning herself an exasperated sigh. “Baby, don’t worry about it. Be patient and you’ll see,” she tried to soothe her.

“My patience is running thin,” Noora deadpanned.

“I noticed,” Eva retorted with a grin, “that’s why there’s no kissing anymore until we reach the last stop, so you’ll finally get your surprise you have been so _patiently_ waiting for.”

Eva knew that she probably shouldn’t get her all riled up when she was planning on asking Noora to marry her. It was most likely a mood killer. But she couldn’t help it since she loved teasing her girlfriend too much, especially when she turned into a whiny little brat. It was adorable in Eva’s humble opinion but Noora would beg to differ.

“Come on!” she exclaimed over her shoulder, “the faster we get to the next location, the sooner you’ll get the actual surprise.”

This seemed to calm Noora for a bit, considering how she still followed Eva and gave her a smile when she caught up with her. “That surprise better be good.”

_I hope so, too._

It didn’t take them long to reach the hospital, and Noora groaned as soon as she saw it, realization dawning on her. Eva let out a quiet laugh as she got off her bike and moved closer to her girlfriend, putting an arm around her when she pointed at the building in front of them.

“I guess you know exactly what happened here?” she questioned teasingly, cocking an eyebrow at her with the hugest smirk.

“Of course, I do,” she responds and buries her face in her hands, “how could I ever forget when the scar on my leg reminds me every day?”

“I love that scar.”

“Only because this whole scenario is somewhat funny to you!” Noora tried to sound offended but failed miserably and couldn’t really hide the grin in her voice either.

“Looking back at it, it really is.”

 

\--

_They had just moved into their first apartment together, with boxes still strewn across the floor. Their friends had just left, and Noora let herself fall dramatically on their new couch, looking exhausted, while Eva shuffled her foot awkwardly and avoided Noora’s gaze while worrying her lip. Obviously, Noora noticed her girlfriend’s discomfort immediately._

_“What’s wrong?” she asked alarmed, voice laced deeply with concern._

_More foot shuffling._

_“Eva.”_

_Noora sounded determined, giving her a pointed look when she eventually met her gaze. Eva didn’t know why she made such a big deal out of this when it was clearly not, and for fuck’s sake, they had just moved in together. There should be nothing anymore that she should be embarrassed about._

_Eva took a deep breath as a nervous smile took over her face. “I want to try something with you.” Before she could change her mind, she pulled out her phone and opened Spotify. Before she pressed play on the song though, she reached out her hand which Noora grasped, letting herself be pulled up from the couch again. Eva let go of her hand for a moment to press play and place the phone on their coffee table._

_The lyrics of ‘More Than Words’ filled the room as she smiled up at Noora. “Dance with me?” she whispered softly, barely audible but she knew Noora had heard her, judging by the way her suspicious expression softened in favor for a more tender, gentle one._

_Noora nodded her agreement, a silent ‘Of course, anything for you’, as her hands wrapped around Eva’s neck while Eva’s hands settled on her hips. They held each other tightly, almost no space between their bodies, while they swayed gently to the music. They didn’t even register the lyrics slowly fading out and a new song coming up, just continued dancing in their own happy little bubble._

_Which was about to burst pretty soon when Noora was absentminded for only a few seconds – probably from all that exertion – and tripped over Eva’s feet, causing her to fall. It was silent for a moment, the music quietly playing in the background the only sound in the room. Eva belatedly realized what had happened when Noora’s screech filled the room and Eva finally moved into gear._

_A litany of curses left Noora’s mouth, which was honestly a rarity, while she held her leg, Eva kneeling down beside her, supporting her back as she examined the damage._

_An old, rusty nail that probably had no business lying around in their apartment, was buried deeply in Noora’s shin. Her face was twisted painfully and Eva could barely look at her bloody leg without feeling nauseous._

_“Oh my God, do something!” Noora yelled panicked, sitting frozen on the floor, not daring to move even a centimeter._

_Eva stood up and turned away from her girlfriend, trying to calm herself down. Not only did the fact that there was a nail stuck in her girlfriend’s shin make her want to throw up but also all the blood around it. And she was supposed to do something? Eva started to hyperventilate, probably more than Noora, and she wasn’t the one with a goddamn nail in her leg._

_“Eva, seriously, we need to do something about this!”_

_Eva shook her head, still not facing Noora. “I’m not looking at this thing, oh my God,” she replied, disgust obvious in her voice._

_“That thing is my leg which is currently in a lot of pain!” she shouted at her. “This is how I’m going to die. I wasn’t supposed to go out this early.”_

_Despite the situation, Eva snorted. “You sound almost as dramatic as Isak.” And then it hit her. “Isak!”_

_“What about him?” Noora asked suspiciously, groaning in pain right afterwards. “I seriously don’t have time for one of your brunch stories right now!”_

_“What? No! He’s studying medicine, right? He could probably help us!” Eva turned back around to meet Noora’s gaze excitedly but regretted it instantly when her eyes were drawn to her shin. She looked away again, trying to keep the takeout they had had earlier in. “Besides, I don’t even tell you that much about when Isak and I go eat brunch together,” she mumbled offended and crossed her arms in front of her chest._

_“Eva! Focus! Now is not the time!” she screamed in a high-pitched voice, sounding more and more desperate with each passing second._

_Eva held up her hands in innocence. “Sorry, I’m sorry!” she apologized frantically, “I’m going to call Isak. I’m sure he can get this thing out.”_

_Noora shook her head vehemently. “No no no! I’m not letting him go near me. He’s still a student, not a doctor. He would probably do even more damage!”_

_“Okay, fuck, chill!”_

_“How do you expect me to chill right now? Oh my God, Eva, just get me to the hospital somehow.”_

_Eva nodded, not sure how they were supposed to go about this, but she figured helping Noora up might be a good start. She knelt beside her and reached out a hand which Noora gratefully took. Eva inquired if she was able to get up, and Noora thought for a moment, testing it out and deciding that yes, she could, and with Eva’s help stood up on one foot. On their way out, Eva grabbed the keys while Noora was more or less jumping along beside her with Eva’s arm wrapped tightly around her lower back to support her. They were lucky to have an elevator in their building, considering how they lived on the third floor and it would be absolutely no fun to get Noora downstairs in her current state._

_When they reached their car, Eva helped Noora get into it slowly, careful not to hurt her even more. When her girlfriend was settled, she shut the door and walked over to the driver’s seat, closing the door behind her as she started up the engine. Bad accident aside, the universe seemed to be on their side today since the traffic wasn’t too bad and they quickly got to their destination. Eva helped her out of her seat again and dragged her to the emergency room where she was promptly taken care of. They asked Eva if she needed any help as well since she looked very pale but Eva just shook her head, declining the offer politely and took a seat in the waiting room._

_While Eva waited, she pulled out her phone and informed the girls that they were at the hospital. They were all, of course, worried but when Chris asked what the fuck had actually happened, Eva went silent for a while. How was she going to explain this? The girls would never let Noora live that one down, especially after her leg healed again. But she also didn’t want to lie to her friends. She had been done with lying ever since her first year. She explained quickly how they danced in their apartment and Noora stumbled over her feet and fell and landed with her shin directly on that nail. She received different reactions._

_Vilde freaked out. On the one hand over their dance, telling her how adorable that was with lots of various heart emojis, on the other hand over the nail thing, not doing anything to hide her disgust. Chris was rather amused by the whole situation, sending several laugh emojis, while Sana told her that it had been a good idea to drive to the hospital immediately instead of calling Isak to come over. (Eva deliberately didn’t respond to the texts where Sana explained what could have happened if they hadn’t acted that way, and continued to live in blissful ignorance.)_

_When their group chat got quiet again, she locked her phone and put it away again. Afterwards, it didn’t take long for Noora to walk out of one of the treatment rooms and towards Eva, even though it had felt like she had been gone for an eternity._

_Eva stood up and embraced her in a tight hug. “Are you okay?” she asked, and when Noora nodded slightly, she sighed with relief. Noora told her how they got the nail out of her shin pretty quickly, cleaned the wound, bandaging her up afterwards, and gave her a tetanus shot only to send her on her merry way back home. Eva nodded her understanding quickly, unbelievably relieved that she didn’t have to stay the night._

_They walked out of the hospital hand in hand, only separating once they got to the car. The drive home was silent, more relaxed and not as rushed as earlier on their way to the hospital. It was calm. When they arrived back in their apartment, Eva helped Noora get undressed quietly and carefully, repeating the action on herself, and then let her fall into their bed beside Noora who was looking at her expectantly._

_“What?” Eva questioned as she came closer, nuzzling her nose into Noora’s neck._

_“Let’s make a deal,” Noora suggested, waiting for Eva’s soft hum to continue, “no more dancing in the apartment.”_

_Eva’s laugh was slightly muffled against the crook of her neck but she eventually agreed. “No more dancing in the apartment.”_

 

\--

 

“You broke that rule so many times already,” Noora commented, giving her a pointed look that was also filled with warmth.

“I can’t help it. I’m a dancer at heart,” she replied, shrugging, “besides, no one got seriously hurt again, so I’m going to keep breaking the rule.”

Noora gave her a soft laugh. “As long as I don’t have to dance, you can do whatever you want.”

Unlike Eva, Noora hadn’t danced again ever since the accident, sticking to the rule and using it as an excuse whenever Eva attempted to convince her – or rather seduce her – to try it with her one more time. She would always violently shake her head and Eva would drop the topic, shrugging it off as she entertained herself. Noora liked to watch her though, couldn’t look away as Eva moved gracefully over the floor.

“The girls still give me so much shit for this,” she said after a while, though she didn’t sound mad, rather amused. After all, it’d been a while and Noora wasn’t the type of person to hold grudges.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Eva replied with just as much amusement in her voice but managed to sound genuine at the same time, as she stroked her thumb over Noora’s cheek. “Shouldn’t have told them but they were worried and I didn’t want to lie.”

Noora closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. “It’s fine. I’m not mad and it’s been years,” she promised as she opened her eyes again to stare into Eva’s grey ones. Eva mumbles a soft ‘Okay’, and then stirs into action again as she gets back on her bike.

“You’re only a few minutes away from your surprise!” Eva announced excitedly albeit nervously. She knew what she was going to tell Noora once they got there, had rehearsed it in front of a mirror countless times before but sadly, that didn’t make her nerves suddenly disappear.

 

Turned out a few minutes was actually twenty minutes but Eva never specified what her definition of a few minutes was, so she honestly couldn’t be held accountable, which is exactly what she told her girlfriend. Noora only rolled her eyes fondly in response, and followed suit when Eva got off her bike when they reached the last stop.

They were down by the beach, and while they had been here before a few times, there was no memory they made here that carried any importance. Yet. Eva could see it on Noora’s face that she thought about what could have happened here, brows furrowed and a small crease appearing between her eyebrows. It was obvious that Noora gave up when she shook her head in defeat.

“Nothing comes to my mind. I can’t remember anything. What happened here?” she asked confused, throwing a curious glance at Eva.

“You can’t remember anything because nothing important has happened here yet,” she began and was met with another bewildered stare that basically said, ‘then what are we doing here?’.

Eva grasped her hand tightly and lead the way to a rather secluded area where the rest of their squad had set up a picnic with all kinds of fruits and sandwiches and drinks. Eva settled down on the blanket with Noora sitting opposite of her. She couldn’t blame Noora for instantly lunging for the water and some grapes, making her realize how hungry she actually was. While her girlfriend popped one of the grapes into her mouth and chewed away happily, Eva reached for a strawberry and took a bite.

When Noora was done eating, she spoke up again. “So, my surprise is a picnic?” she questioned, eyes raised high on her forehead. “If yes, then I don’t understand why you took me down memory lane and showed me our firsts because this isn’t our first picnic, we’ve had them before.”

Eva smiled at her and rolled her eyes fondly, not used to this impatience from Noora. “Just let me explain, okay?” she requested and took a deep breath to steady herself. She had practiced this speech many times before, it shouldn’t be hard to recite it to Noora, she could do it. Reaching into her jeans pocket, Eva felt the weight of the ring again, grounding her. Yes, she could do this.

“I took you down memory lane because I wanted to remind you of all the firsts we have experienced together, all the memories we have made,” she started out and moved closer to Noora, taking her hand in hers. Noora was still happily eating her grapes but listened attentively to what Eva had to say.

“But those are old ones. I want to make new memories with you. I want to start a new life with you. I can’t imagine life without you.” She cleared her throat before she continued, “I want this to be our first date with you as my fiancé.” There she said it, it was out in the open world and she couldn’t take it back anymore, didn’t want to, actually. Eva waited for Noora’s reaction which came soon when she seemed to have processed the words and started choking on a grape, going into a coughing fit. _Oh fuck_ , Eva thought as she clapped on Noora’s back, trying to help her calm down again.

After she stopped coughing, she squeaked out, “what?” which made Eva nervous again, causing her to rub the back of her neck anxiously, and suddenly the option that Noora would actually say no was back on the table. _Fuck_. But she told herself she was going to do this and she was going to finish her goddamn speech and then she could drown in embarrassment and humiliation and cry over how she lost the best thing in her life.

So she soldiered on and tried to make her voice sound steady instead of weak. “I love you so much, so fucking much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don’t regret a single choice I made with you. Each day you make me so incredibly happy and I want to spend my life giving that back to you. Like I said, I can’t imagine a life without you in it, and we’ve been together for so long now. Why not take the next step?” For the most part, she had refused to meet Noora’s gaze, staring at a point beside her face. But she looked down on her jeans pocket as she retrieved the shiny ring, holding it out like it was the most precious thing in the world (which it probably was, Eva had never spent so much money on something before). Eva finally looked up, needing to see Noora’s reaction and if she might have fucked up everything that was good in their relationship. When she finally met Noora’s gaze, she was surprised to find a teary Noora whose entire face was lit up, hand covering her mouth in shock. Maybe this was going somewhere good. “Noora Amalie Sætre, will you please do me the honor and marry me?“

Tears were rolling down her cheeks as Noora nodded frantically, throwing her arms around Eva’s neck while sobbing ‘yes!’ into her hair repeatedly. When her brain finally processed what was happening, Eva hugged her back tightly, heaving a sigh of relief. She let out a shaky breath as she felt tears of her own forming in the corners of her eyes which she desperately tried to hold back. It was already enough that Noora was crying. They broke apart for a second only to be finally reunited in a desperate kiss that tasted a lot like… tears. She tore herself away from Noora who wore a similar expression of disgust on her face, causing Eva to chuckle.

“Yeah, that was not our best kiss,” she commented, and Noora nodded her agreement.

“I feel like Cho when she kissed Harry in the fifth book. It was all wet,” Noora retorted, snickering.

“You’re lucky I love you so much that I read the books and watched the movies. Otherwise I wouldn’t understand this reference right now.”

Noora’s expression softened at her words and she caressed Eva’s cheek with her thumb. “And this is exactly why I am going to marry you.”

“Only because I read Harry Potter for you? Wow, then it’s pretty easy to charm you,” she joked, face breaking into a teasing grin.

“Good thing you were the first one to do so,” she whispered, wiping her tears away, and then leaned in to give Eva a proper, not wet kiss. It was soft and sweet and gentle, and she could have done this for hours but then she remembered the ring she was still clutching in one of her hands and how that ring belonged on her girlfriend’s – no, _fiancé’s_ – finger now. Eva broke the kiss, eliciting a needy whine from Noora, but she only smiled as she reached for Noora’s hand and slipped the ring on her finger, the ring shining brightly in the sun.

Eva pulled her into a hug again when she whispered into her ear, “I love you so much. For a moment back there I thought you were going to say no.”

Noora shook her head furiously. “Oh God, no. I was just a bit shocked because I didn’t expect that. I would have never said no because I love you so much, too.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you the most.”

“Not possible,” Eva mumbled, unable to keep the smile off her face.

Afterwards, they went back to eating and enjoying their picnic as a newly engaged couple, making new memories right there and then. Noora couldn’t keep her eyes off her ring, having long close looks at it, her smile becoming wider every time, and Eva couldn’t help but feel oddly proud.

“Do you like it?” she eventually asked, a grin dancing over her lips.

“Yes,” Noora said, looking up from the ring and giving Eva a tender smile. “I love it. Almost as much as you.”

“Glad you’re not replacing me with a ring any time soon,” she joked and laughed to herself.

“Nothing could ever replace you.”

“Aww, baby, you’re so cute and cheesy. I should propose to you every day.” Noora nodded her approval as Eva sat up from where she had been lying down on the blanket to press another sweet kiss to Noora’s lips. She could honestly never get tired of this feeling.

“I have a question though,” Noora suddenly said, sounding curious, eyebrows knitting together. Eva only hummed her response, waiting for Noora to ask her question. “Is this why the others have been so weird today? Giggling so much that it even seemed not normal for Vilde? Did they know?”

Eva laughed out loud at that but nodded quickly. “Yes, they knew. They prepared this picnic for us while we were on our little bike tour.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of them. Almost makes all the giggling I had to endure today bearable.” This earned her a playful slap on her arm. “Don’t be rude!” Eva exclaimed, still laughing. “They were just excited, that’s all.”

Noora raised her hands in defeat. “Okay, I’m sorry. That was mean,” she apologized and Eva nodded approvingly. “Are they going to join us later?”

“Mhm,” Eva hummed again, “I can text them whenever you want them to stop by.”

“How about we cuddle a bit more and enjoy the sun and then we text them?” Noora suggested, already nuzzling closer to Eva.

And that sounded like a great plan.

 

The girls joined them after a while, Eva giving them permission to over text, and they were showered in hugs and congratulations, Noora showing off her new ring at Vilde’s request. They ate the leftovers of the picnic (which Noora had thanked them for setting it up) while Noora had to describe their day and the proposal itself in detail, again at Vilde’s request. Eva just smiled at her fiancé happily, listening to her recall the different events today. Noora had the entire squad mesmerized and watching her with wide eyes as if Noora told them about the secrets of the universe. And honestly, whenever Eva stared deeply into those grey eyes, she believed Noora did.

The group split soon after Noora was done talking, Chris and Vilde going off to exchange old memories themselves while Noora, Eva and Sana stayed behind, building their own little circle.

“I’m really happy for you guys,” Sana said with a huge smile on her face as they all sat down on the other blanket the girls brought. Both Noora and Eva nodded their thanks silently, matching Sana’s smile.

“Sooo, when can we be happy for you?” Eva asked, waggling her eyebrows at Sana.

Sana’s expression turned confused as she looked back and forth between Noora and Eva. “What do you mean?” she inquired, eyeing them suspiciously.

“Eva wants to know when Yousef is going to pop the question,” Noora explained briefly.

Sana actually snorted at that and rolled her eyes. “Not any time soon,” she huffed out her reply.

“But everyone’s waiting for it!” Eva exclaimed excitedly.

“Have I ever succumbed to peer pressure?” Sana sighed heavily.

Noora turned to face Eva, a bright smile on her lips as she took Eva’s hand in hers and said softly, “no, never. But there’s a first time for everything.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!! <3 I'm gonna turn this into a series because I will write two more fics for skam month that I have already started but will be continued and posted later because my online friend is going to stay with me for 9 days and idk how much writing I'll actually get done (though the second fic is almost done tbh). 
> 
> I really, really hope you liked this, I put so much time in this (and lost so much sleep, like right now. claudia and anna are gonna kill me), so yeah, I just hope it was a fun read and that at least some people enjoyed this. (it would seriously make me incredibly happy). 
> 
> btw I promise to update hitting on you soon, I have started the next chapter but like I said, I won't get much writing done the next week but I swear I'll update, I'm not abandoning this fic it's like my baby okay. 
> 
> I love you all and I apologize I'm being so weird right now, it's 2:30 and I'm really, really tired (I hope you're getting more sleep than I am <3)
> 
> come yell at me on [tumblr](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) about nooreva (and tempt me to write more fics like nate and seph constantly do)


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